Heritage World Coin Auctions
March Signature Sale 3096 25-27 Mar 2021
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Ancients
Hadrian (AD 117-138). AV aureus (21mm, 7.41 gm, 6h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Rome, AD 128-129. HADRIANVS-AVGVSTVS P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian right, seen from behind / COS-III, Hadrian riding horse pacing right, raising right hand. RIC II 348e. RIC II.3 930. Calicó 1221a. A simply stunning coin in hand. Struck from fresh dies with the engraver's centering arc for the legend still visible on obverse. The flan bright, with cartwheel luster.
From the Paramount Collection
This bold portrait displays to good effect Hadrian's famous beard, which was a notable departure from the tradition of clean-shaven Roman rulers. Previous Roman emperors were sometimes depicted on their coins with a scruffy light growth along the jaw line; these instances likely represented a "mourning beard" worn after the death of someone in the Imperial family. Hadrian was the first emperor to sport a full, heavy beard, albeit carefully trimmed. Roman historians present two reasons for his facial hair: (1) to hide unsightly pockmarks on his cheeks resulting from a childhood illness, (2) to show his sympathy with Greek philosophers, traditionally shown as bearded. Whatever his reasons for growing it, Hadrian's beard kicked off a fashion trend for Roman emperors that lasted nearly two centuries, until Constantine the Great brought shaving back into favor.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-hadrian-ad-117-138-av-aureus-21mm-741-gm-6h-ngc-msand-9733-5-5-4-5-fine-style/a/3096-30054.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 10000-15000 USD
Hadrian (AD 117-138). AV aureus (21mm, 7.41 gm, 6h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Rome, AD 128-129. HADRIANVS-AVGVSTVS P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian right, seen from behind / COS-III, Hadrian riding horse pacing right, raising right hand. RIC II 348e. RIC II.3 930. Calicó 1221a. A simply stunning coin in hand. Struck from fresh dies with the engraver's centering arc for the legend still visible on obverse. The flan bright, with cartwheel luster.
From the Paramount Collection
This bold portrait displays to good effect Hadrian's famous beard, which was a notable departure from the tradition of clean-shaven Roman rulers. Previous Roman emperors were sometimes depicted on their coins with a scruffy light growth along the jaw line; these instances likely represented a "mourning beard" worn after the death of someone in the Imperial family. Hadrian was the first emperor to sport a full, heavy beard, albeit carefully trimmed. Roman historians present two reasons for his facial hair: (1) to hide unsightly pockmarks on his cheeks resulting from a childhood illness, (2) to show his sympathy with Greek philosophers, traditionally shown as bearded. Whatever his reasons for growing it, Hadrian's beard kicked off a fashion trend for Roman emperors that lasted nearly two centuries, until Constantine the Great brought shaving back into favor.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-hadrian-ad-117-138-av-aureus-21mm-741-gm-6h-ngc-msand-9733-5-5-4-5-fine-style/a/3096-30054.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 10000-15000 USD